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The content of each post is solely written by that contributor and only expresses the contributor's personal views. Each post does not represent the views of all the contributors or Women of Color Living Abroad as an organization. Each contributor is speaking from their own person experiences and/or perspective.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Why Traveling Is Important

10 Reasons to Travel

March 8, 2014

By Cha Jones

I believe that traveling is essential to one’s personal growth and development. When you travel, you see

things from your own personal perspective and often that changes how you think about yourself and others. Traveling also allows you to the opportunity to meet new people and taste foods that you may have never tried before. However, traveling might be the very thing you need to help you rediscover yourself.

Here my top 10
reasons why you should travel…

You think you know everything….when you
travel you will being to understand that you know very little and that you can
learn something new. You don’t have to venture far; sometimes you can learn
something by just taking a walk in your community. So, take a trip through your
own community and discover something new.

Meet new people….tired of the same
boring conversations, then travel and meet some new characters in your book of
LIFE. People are interesting and if you don’t travel and meet new people from
different backgrounds, religions, cultures, experiences, or races, then you
stay confined to what you know (see reason #1).

Get connected….are you feeling a little
disconnected? Travel allows you the opportunity to connect with other people, taste
their food, and learn how they live by interacting with them in their community.

Helps you appreciate what you have…when
you see people who have less than you, and they make wonderful things happen
without complaint, it gives you a different perspective. You begin to realize
that you have a great deal to be thankful for in life. Often times you take for
granted that you have so much to be grateful for, and traveling allows you the
opportunity to see that so many people are living with so little and yet they
have very rich and fulfilling lives.

Find common threads…traveling affirms
that people are more alike than they are different. When you travel, you see
the human thread that weaves people together, presents mutual wants, and
desires while removing the labels that separate individuals by identifiers that
distinguish one’s race, gender, ethnicity, and preference.

Helps you reflect…traveling gives you
the freedom to think about what is important. People are caught up in their daily
lives and often forget what they have done, whom they have met, and what is
actually important to them. So, taking time to travel gives you the opportunity
to reflect on what has meaning. You can finally stop and smell the roses.

You can PLAY again…traveling gives you
the right to PLAY. You have not played in a while and you need a break from the
grind. Traveling is a way to let your hair down and venture out to do something
that is FUN. You can regain the excitement in your life through traveling.

Relax!!!...traveling also helps you
relax and find your inner peace again. Have you been tossing and turning at
night because you cannot sleep? Well, traveling is just the thing that will
help you let go of all your worries and recharge your mind, body and spirit.
It’s nice to find a quiet little place where no one knows your name and you can
finally rest and rejuvenate.

Get to know yourself again… it is a
great time to journal and think about what makes your heart sing. Do you really
know yourself since you have not taken time to quiet your mind and think about
what you want, need, and desire? Travel and ask yourself what matters to you!

Reconnect with family or friends…traveling
gives you the opportunity to meet-up with people you have not seen in a while.
It also allows you time to reconnect with the people that you see every day but
do not take the time to engage with because you are constantly on the go. You
can use travel as a way to rekindle a flame, find out what is going on, and really
interact with the people that you care about you.

Definition List

About Me

This blog is part of Expat Women of Color website (www.expatwomenofcolor.com). It was designed to educate and provide resources for women of color who desire or are currently living abroad. This blog was created to help promote information about how to travel in different countries, inexpensive ways to travel, lessons learned while traveling, and resources that can help other women who desire to take the leap and move abroad in the future. Welcome ABROAD!